Fooled

Note to self: not every red bird in those trees below our front yard is a scarlet tanager.

I was so excited, thinking to repeat the good luck of the day before. It wasn't till I got the pictures on my laptop that I saw the truth.

Let me hasten to say that there's nothing wrong with cardinals--they are quite beautiful. But we have lots of them at our feeder so tend to take them for granted.

It's the thrill of trying to capture a rarity, I guess.

 

Rain

"Poor man's fertilize," our
neighbor Clifford used to call rain and snow, greeting with wise approval the same weather that city folks might deplore.

After last summer's near-drought, we are thirsty for gentle soaking rains -- the patter of drops on our metal roof today is as welcome as the sound of Santa's reindeer. Just beyond the dining room window, crystal beads deck the crabapple's bare branches and a male cardinal flashes scarlet thanks.